High speed reusable beverage container washing system with pop-up sprayer

Abstract

A beverage container washing system may be used for rapid washing and/or sanitizing of beverage containers, e.g., for use in a retail environment to wash and/or sanitize customer-provided beverage containers prior to filling the beverage containers with purchased beverages, among other applications. The beverage container washing system may include a pop-up sprayer that includes multiple nozzles, one of which is oriented to spray wash fluid into an interior of a beverage container and another of which is oriented to spray wash fluid onto an outer lip of the beverage container.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An apparatus for washing a beverage container, comprising:
 a housing defining a wash chamber; 
 a holder disposed within the wash chamber and configured to hold the beverage container during a washing operation; and 
 a pop-up sprayer disposed in the wash chamber and including a plurality of nozzles, the pop-up sprayer configured to rotate about an axis of rotation and to move between retracted and extended positions relative to the holder along the axis of rotation, and the plurality of nozzles including an interior nozzle oriented to spray wash fluid into an interior of the beverage container when the beverage container is held by the holder and a lip nozzle oriented to spray wash fluid onto an outer lip of the beverage container when the beverage container is held by the holder, and wherein movement of the pop-up sprayer from the retracted position to the extended position moves the lip nozzle closer to the outer lip of the beverage container. 
 
     
     
       2. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the pop-up sprayer includes a manifold including an inlet configured to receive a wash fluid, an axial conduit extending generally along the axis of rotation, and a transverse conduit extending generally transverse to the axis of rotation, wherein the axial and transverse conduits are in fluid communication with the inlet, wherein the interior nozzle is in fluid communication with the inlet through the axial conduit and is axially offset from the inlet along the axis of rotation, and wherein the lip nozzle is in fluid communication with the inlet through the transverse conduit and radially offset from the inlet relative to the axis of rotation. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the lip nozzle is a first lip nozzle and the transverse conduit is a first transverse conduit, wherein the manifold further includes a second transverse conduit extending generally transverse to the axis of rotation and angularly offset from the first transverse conduit, and wherein the plurality of nozzles further includes a second lip nozzle oriented to spray wash fluid onto the outer lip of the beverage container when the beverage container is held by the holder, the second lip nozzle in fluid communication with the inlet through the second transverse conduit and radially offset from the inlet relative to the axis of rotation. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the first and second transverse conduits are angularly offset from one another by about 180 degrees. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the first and second transverse conduits extend substantially normal to the axis of rotation. 
     
     
       6. The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the transverse conduit includes at least one drive nozzle configured to emit wash fluid along a tangential direction relative to the axis of rotation to drive rotation of the pop-up sprayer about the axis of rotation when spraying wash fluid from the pop-up sprayer. 
     
     
       7. The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the interior nozzle is a first interior nozzle having a first spray pattern, and wherein the plurality of nozzles includes a second interior nozzle oriented to spray wash fluid into the interior of the beverage container when the beverage container is held by the holder, the second interior nozzle having a second spray pattern that differs from the first spray pattern in a direction along the axis of rotation. 
     
     
       8. The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the second interior nozzle is axially and/or angularly offset from the first interior nozzle. 
     
     
       9. The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the second interior nozzle is in fluid communication with the inlet through the axial conduit and is axially offset from the inlet along the axis of rotation. 
     
     
       10. The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the first interior nozzle is proximate a distal end of the axial conduit from the inlet and a center of the first spray pattern is oriented along the axis of rotation, wherein the second interior nozzle is proximate a junction between the axial conduit and the transverse conduit and the second spray pattern is oriented to spray wash fluid onto an inner lip of the beverage container when the beverage container is held by the holder. 
     
     
       11. The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the plurality of nozzles further includes third, fourth and fifth interior nozzles proximate the distal end of the axial conduit, the third and fourth interior nozzles being angularly offset from one another by about 180 degrees and having third and fourth spray patterns oriented to spray wash fluid onto the inner lip of the beverage container when the beverage container is held by the holder, and the fifth interior nozzle having a fifth spray pattern that overlaps the first spray pattern. 
     
     
       12. The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the manifold is formed of metal and includes a plurality of threaded apertures configured to threadably engage the plurality of nozzles. 
     
     
       13. The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the pop-up sprayer further includes:
 a base including an inlet configured to receive wash fluid and an opening configured to slidably and rotatably receive the manifold; 
 a seal disposed on the base and configured to form a seal between the base and the manifold proximate the opening; and 
 a bias mechanism configured to bias the pop-up sprayer to the retracted position, wherein the manifold is configured to slide within the base to overcome the bias mechanism and move the pop-up sprayer to the extended position as a result of pressure generated by wash fluid received in the inlet of the base. 
 
     
     
       14. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of nozzles has a fan spray pattern. 
     
     
       15. The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a motor configured to rotate the pop-up sprayer about the axis of rotation or move the pop-up sprayer between the retracted and extended positions. 
     
     
       16. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the axis of rotation is a first axis of rotation, and wherein the housing comprises:
 a base; and 
 first and second concentric housing members supported on the base, one of the first and second concentric housing members being disposed inwardly from the other of the first and second concentric housing members and forming at least a portion of a wash chamber, and one of the first and second concentric housing members being a rotatable concentric housing member that is rotatable about a second axis of rotation; 
 wherein the second axis of rotation is generally vertical and the holder is configured to hold the beverage container in a generally inverted vertical orientation. 
 
     
     
       17. An apparatus for washing a beverage container, comprising:
 a housing defining a wash chamber; 
 a holder disposed within the wash chamber and configured to hold the beverage container during a washing operation; and 
 a pop-up sprayer disposed in the wash chamber, the pop-up sprayer configured to rotate about an axis of rotation and to move between retracted and extended positions relative to the holder along the axis of rotation, the pop-up sprayer including:
 a manifold including an inlet configured to receive a wash fluid, an axial conduit extending generally along the axis of rotation, and a transverse conduit extending generally transverse to the axis of rotation, the axial and transverse conduits in fluid communication with the inlet; 
 a first nozzle in fluid communication with the inlet through the axial conduit and axially offset from the inlet along the axis of rotation; and 
 a second nozzle in fluid communication with the inlet through the transverse conduit and radially offset from the inlet relative to the axis of rotation, and movement of the pop-up sprayer from the retracted position to the extended position moves the second nozzle closer to the beverage container. 
 
 
     
     
       18. The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the first nozzle is an interior nozzle oriented to spray wash fluid into an interior of the beverage container when the beverage container is held by the holder, and wherein the second nozzle is a lip nozzle oriented to spray wash fluid onto an outer lip of the beverage container when the beverage container is held by the holder. 
     
     
       19. The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the lip nozzle is a first lip nozzle and the transverse conduit is a first transverse conduit, wherein the manifold further includes a second transverse conduit extending generally transverse to the axis of rotation and angularly offset from the first transverse conduit, and wherein the pop-up sprayer further includes a second lip nozzle oriented to spray wash fluid onto the outer lip of the beverage container when the beverage container is held by the holder, the second lip nozzle in fluid communication with the inlet through the second transverse conduit and radially offset from the inlet relative to the axis of rotation. 
     
     
       20. The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the interior nozzle is a first interior nozzle having a first spray pattern, and wherein the plurality of nozzles includes a second interior nozzle oriented to spray wash fluid into the interior of the beverage container when the beverage container is held by the holder, the second interior nozzle having a second spray pattern that differs from the first spray pattern in a direction along the axis of rotation.